"THIS IS NOT GOING TO WORK," Karkat said flatly. He kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk with the toe of his beat up sneaker, studying as it skittered across the pavement into a crack.
Kanaya had been trying to get him to agree for the past week, and still Karkat refused to face the Condesce in court. Even as they walked to the cafe.
"If You Really Believed That, You Would Be At Home." He flushed indignantly at this.
"I WANT THIS TO SUCCEED JUST AS MUCH AS YOU DO, KANAYA, BELIEVE ME."
"But You Think It Won't."
"I'M BEING REALISTIC. THE CONDESCE IS A RUTHLESS BITCH. THE SLIGHTEST WHIFF OF RESISTANCE AND SHE'LL HAVE OUR SECRETS OUT IN THE WORLD AND BULLETS IN OUR PATHETIC FUCKING BRAINS. THIS ISN'T A WHIFF, THIS IS A MOTHERFUCKING YANKEE CANDLE STORE."
Kanaya turned on her heel to look at Karkat head-on.
"So Go Home, Then. Save Your Ass. We Can Do This Without You." Kanaya's voice was chilly. It broke her heart to act so awful to him, but she had to pull out all the stops. She needed him to do this. For both their sakes.
Several pedestrians glanced at them curiously as they passed. The pair of them shot twin glares back at the passerby, sending them on their way.
He growled in aggravation. "WILL YOU JUST LOOK AT THE RISKS? OUR PARENTS WOULD GET DECADES IN PRISON. WE'D BE DEAD, OR WORSE. NOT TO MENTION DAVE AND ROSE," he said through gritted teeth.
"Will You Look? What do we get if we do nothing? A Life Of Servitude? Never Seeing Our Parents Again? The Guilt Of Seeing All the Other People She's Conned Live Like This, Knowing We Could Have Done Something? If We Win, Our Parents Walk Free! Everyone will."
"THIS ISN'T A SUPERHERO COMIC. WE CAN'T RISK OUR LIVES BECAUSE OF YOUR FLIMSY OPTIMISM."
So You'd Let The Condesce Continue With Her Tyranny? Let Her Rule Our Lives, Having Us Hang On Her Every Word Lest She 'Let Something Slip'? Subject Countless Others, Perhaps This Whole Town, To The Same Fate? I Never Thought You'd Submit To Her So Easily," Kanaya hissed. She really was angry at him now, completely disregarding her 'cool-and-collected' strategy.
Karkat looked away, avoiding the intensity of her accusatory stare. He remained silent for a few long seconds, ending it with a heaving sigh.
"FINE. I'LL DO IT." Kanaya smiled gratefully at him, relieved. There was no way this would work without him.
"BUT WE HAVE TO PREPARE FOR THE CONSEQUENCES. WARN OUR PARENTS, TELL THEM TO RUN. MAKE PLANS FOR US TO MOVE OUT QUICKLY."
Their parents would scramble out of their current woodland hideout in Whereverthefuck, Nowhereland, bags already packed since the day they'd got there. They'd jump to a new shelter, this one intended to be better hidden. But it wouldn't be, just by virtue of law enforcement's newfound awareness- courtesy of Her Imperious Condescension herself. Perhaps when their plan failed, Karkat and Kanaya would rendezvous with them somewhere. Two outlaws becoming four.
"And Then We Run Away For The Rest of Our Lives?" She couldn't deny that he was right in plotting escape, but it was a temporary solution. There wasn't even the slimmest chance that running would work. Condy had eyes everywhere.
"Karkat, This Has To Work," she continued. "We Succeed, Or We Die."
"GEE, NOW THE PLAN DOESN'T SOUND SO GOOD DOES IT? WHATEVER. I'VE JUST COMMITTED MYSELF, THERE'S NO BACKING OUT."
The both of them lapsed back into uneasy silence, walking once more. Karkat was being horrifyingly pessimistic, but at least he'd participate. However, that didn't change the fact that the both of them had misgivings about the functionality of their rebellion.
The Condesce had an undeniable advantage over them, with blackmail, bribe money, and influence. They had the element of surprise, but even that was dubious at this point, with all her surveillance.
The only other thing on their side- Terezi.
A brilliant, fast-paced, manipulative mind, Terezi had passed the bar examination at the tender age of 18 and gone on to be one of the best lawyers in the state, possibly the country. She was absolutely ruthless in the courtroom, tearing her opponents apart argument by argument.
If she couldn't win their case, no one could.
Of course, Terezi wouldn't be able to do it on her own. They needed solid evidence, witnesses brave enough to testify against HIC. They needed luck, despite how many times Terezi insisted it didn't exist. And they needed to work together.
"Karkat?"
"YEAH?"
"I'm... Sorry. I Was Pressuring You Too Hard. I Know It's Hard To Willingly Endanger Our Parents Like This." Kanaya bowed her head slightly towards him, apologetic.
His features softened slightly in recognition of her statement. "IT'S FINE. GOING TO COURT IS NECESSARY. WE'VE WAITED TOO LONG FOR THIS ANYWAY," he conceded.
They were outside the cafe now, and could see the figures of their co-conspirators through the window.
"I Guess We're Done Waiting Now," Kanaya replied, pushing open the door of the cafe with a chime of the bell overhead.